Moving (on a tight budget) - tips please!

Hi guys, I know I haven't been around much lately, been really busy and was spending far too much time on BB!

Seems like I have to move and will give my months notice tomorrow (on a month by month contract). I haven't found anywhere yet but will look at a lot of places next week. So I have a month in which to organise things which is good.

I know there are some things that I can't get out of paying for - the place to be sprayed and the carpets cleaned. Other things I will have to do myself **sigh** like the move out clean and the packing and physical moving. I have some big strong boys I will rope into helping with utes and one has a trailer which will help and we won't be moving that far away I don't think.

So...budget moving tips please! I need to get boxes and from what I can remember you can buy second hand ones that are chaper? What else can I save on?

Also if anyone has any tips on how to fit a fully furnished 4 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom townhouse I'd like to hear them!

Also if anyone has any tips on how to fit a fully furnished 4 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom townhouse I'd like to hear them!

Garage sale!

I've only ever moved twice, both of them were pretty easy as we didn't have much stuff. First time was when I moved into a unit with DF in town, out of my little box of a room at uni. I didn't really pack anything, it all just got thrown in the car!
When we moved from the unit into our house, again we didn't really pack as such...we were moving literally around the corner and we were only packing up a one bedroom unit so we didn't have a great amount of stuff. For boxes we just used what we had, and OH worked at the time for a business that sold office products so I think he grabbed a few larger boxes from them. Maybe ask around at some furniture places to see if they have any large cardboard boxes that they were just going to throw out, they might give them to you for free? Otherwise those cheap plastic stripy bags from a $2 shop are great for non-breakables.

For the exit-clean, if you want to save time, get a list of what the real-estate agent wants and work to that.

Prioritise your utilities - if there's anything you can do without (landline?) then don't install it for a week or so - don't forget you'll be getting bills from the old place which will possibly be hefty along with the connection fees for the new place.

Good luck - um, as the 25th is a public holiday, how will you drop the keys back?

boxes are the biggest expence so get as many free ones as you can... If you have seen anyone move to the area in the last few weeks, go knock on there door and see if they have any boxes there still... ( and sell your boxes in the trading post when your done )

cull cull cull its what we do at every move.... it amazing how much crap we collect along the way... and we move almost yearly

best of luck with the move hope you find your dream home.... well at least one you really like

Maybe try your local supermarket for boxes? or places like bunnings etc, i'm sure all they do is throw away the boxes, they might be willing to give you some. (that's how we got most of our boxes for the move we just did!) ummm.... what else... make sure you ring around HEAPS of places for the carpet cleaning... we got a quote of about $300ish from one place and i'm glad i called around cos we ended up getting it done for about $150!

Keep in mind that with Utes and trailers it means lots of smaller moves, lots of trips across town (which add up even if it is a short distance) and you can't be in two places at once. This means that you have to be either controlling the pack and load or contolling the unload at the other end...

FWIW I really recommend hiring an ISUZU truck for a day. We have moved our entire house a few times in just one trip in the right sized truck. They are easy to drive and you only need a regular license. I would never go back to a van or trailer now . I think the price is pretty reasonable and is well worth the time and effort you save. There is a website that helps you compare all of the hire companies (google - vroomvroomvroom).

And I second the idea of a garage sale! It feels so good to offload excess stuff!What works really well is to move out of your house a few days early, leaving behind all the stuff you want to sell. That way you can have the garage sale in the empty house if it rains. Then, the way I look at it, people are paying you to take away all your crap!!! Remember to keep the prices crazy low so that it walks out the door... otherwise you will need that trailer to take it all to the dump/salvos later .

My biggest tip is start cleaning out stuff now! Be ruthless! Throw out, give away or sell anything you don't want to take with you. Don't keep anything you haven't used for the past few months. Then you'll have less to take with you.

When we moved I got they keys on a Thrusday so I took all the small stuff to the new house in the few days leading up to the weekend and put it in the relevant rooms. I had the kitchen, bathroom and wardrobes and cupboards filled before we moved the furniture in. Then it only left the furniture to be brought to the new house over the weekend. I took all the drawers out of our chest of drawers full so when the chests came I just had to put the drawers back in. I didn't have to pack any of that stuff.

if you still need boxes, tee it up with your local pub with a bottleshop. Beer boxes can be fantastic to move with, especially if they are all the same brand, then they stack flat... but you may need to tape them back together. I know our local throws out heaps of boxes each day (albeit they use a recycle bin)

For the exit-clean, if you want to save time, get a list of what the real-estate agent wants and work to that.

This is where Qld's quarterly inspections rock out. You can get away with the shoddiest exit clean - seriously, just mop, vacuum, clean the windows and toilet and you're pretty much set. Both Brissy places we have moved into were filthy compared to Melbourne exit clean standards.

Dropping the keys off shouldn't be too much of an issue. I know our agent will accept them the following Monday if you move on a weekend. It's pretty rare that they get someone move in on the day that the place is vacated, so you should be all right.
We did a dodgy when we left Melbourne - had an exit cleaner coming at 1, and we were leaving for Brissy at 4. Cleaner was late, so we dropped off three sets at the agent and gave a fourth to the cleaner. We told the cleaner to drop the keys in the letterbox over the road when he was finished (a friend's) and our friends then disposed of the key. SOOO naughty!

I second the "get a truck" philosophy. If you can afford it, they're cheaper than you think, get one of the boys to drive it for you or drive it yourself. I'm not that into it, terrified of hitting something with the top of it.

Awesome thanks guys! I have a couple of friends helping with trailers and utes and it's only 10 mins so should be ok! Now i'm thinkning of hiring a skip, my garage is FULL of rubbish and you have to pay to go to the tip here.

I got a quote for outside and inside pest spraying and carpets (4 beds, lounge and study) for $450 - does that sound about right? I have no idea!

in regards to saving on connection fees for things like internet, phone, etc you can save money by saying you will sign up for another 6 or 12months of they knock the connection fee off. I did this for my foxtel and internet last time and got free re-connection and installation at the next place

The best advice I can give really is - if you can get a freestanding house - do it. DH and I were stuck in a townie for 3 years whe we had to move (owners divorcing so selling the house) and I would never do it again with kids.

With the boxes, we looked out the back of dollar shops and near loading docks. DH used to be chuffed when he would come home with a bunch of good boxes to help us move.

And don't forget the oven! They always check it. LOL. Get out your condition report and make sure you look at anything not on it - and on your next one - WRITE EVERYTHING! Cracks, marks, stains, ufos, absolutely everything. All too often we just sign what they wrote - but there can be a lot of stuff missing. Not so much a money saver now, but will be in future.